Bosconian

Bosconian[lower-alpha 1] is a multi-directional scrolling shooter arcade game which was developed and released by Namco in Japan in 1981. In North America, it was manufactured and distributed by Midway Games. Bosconian was ported to the Sharp X68000, Sharp X1, and MSX computers.

Bosconian
Promotional sales flyer
Developer(s)Namco
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Makoto Sato
Programmer(s)Kazuo Kurosu
Composer(s)Nobuyuki Ohnagi
SeriesBosconian
Platform(s)Arcade, MSX, Sharp X68000, Sharp X1, Mobile phone
Release
Genre(s)Multi-directional shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer (alternating turns)
CabinetUpright, cabaret, tabletop
Arcade systemNamco Galaga

Bosconian allows the player's ship to freely roam across open space which scrolls in all directions. The game also has a radar, which tracks the position of the player's ship, enemy formation attacks, and space stations.

Gameplay
In-game screenshot, showing the player destroying an enemy base.

The objective of Bosconian is to score as many points as possible by destroying enemy missiles and bases. The player controls a small fighter ship that can move in eight directions, and can fire both forward and backward. Each round consists of a number of green enemy bases that must all be destroyed to advance to the next round (a semi-transparent automap helps identify their location). Each station consists of six cannons arranged in a hexagon, surrounding a central core. The player must either destroy all six cannons or shoot the core to destroy a station, and in later rounds the core is capable of defending itself (opening and closing while launching missiles).

Additionally, the player must avoid or destroy stationary asteroids, mines, and a variety of enemy missiles and ships which attempt to collide with his or her ship. Enemy bases will also occasionally launch a squadron of ships in formation attacks — destroying the leader causes all remaining enemies to disperse, but destroying all enemies in a formation scores extra bonus points. A spy ship will also appear occasionally, which must be destroyed or the round will go to "condition red" regardless of how long the player has taken. Throughout the game, a digitized voice alerts the player to various events, such as incoming enemies or an approaching spy ship.

Reception
Reception
Review score
PublicationScore
AllGame[2]
Award
PublicationAward
Electronic Games"Best Science Fiction Coin-Op Game"[3]

In Japan, Game Machine listed Bosconian on their August 15, 1983 issue as being the twenty-second most-successful table arcade unit of the year.[4] Bosconian was largely unsuccessful commercially, with most cabinets being sent back and converted to Galaga.[5]

Bosconian won the 1982 Arcade Award for "Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Coin-Op Game in January 1983", beating both Atari's Gravitar and Sega's Zaxxon.[3] Electronic Games magazine called it "a real space-gamer's delight", highly-praising its unique 360-degree movement, the multiple ways to destroy the battle stations, and the ability to freely fly about the screen.[6] Video Games referred to it as "another treat for Galaxian fans", commending the controls and several ways to earn points.[7]

In 1998, Japanese publication Gamest selected Bosconian as one of the best arcade games of the era, complementing its Rally-X-like radar system, atmosphere and addictive nature. They have cited it as being an influential shooter for its vast game world and setting, labeling it as "an excellent introductory game" for players new to the genre.[8]

Retrospectively in 2018, Akiba PC Hotline! covered the Sharp X68000 version of the game, where they praised the conversion's accurate portrayal of the arcade original and the "wonderful" rearranged soundtrack.[9] Beep! criticized the Sord M5 version of the game for its poor quality, low difficulty level, and the lack of features from the arcade original, such as the voice samples.[10] They stated that fans of the M5 or those interested in collecting it should be wary of its quality before purchasing it.[10]

Legacy

Bosconian later appeared in several Namco Museum compilations for PlayStation and other consoles. The game has also been released in Jakks Pacific's TV game controllers, and was released as part of the Pac-Man's Arcade Party arcade machine in 2010.

Bosconian was ported to several home computers in Europe, such as MSX, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum; these ports were renamed Bosconian '87. A spiritual successor, Blast Off, was released in 1989 in Japan only; it runs on Namco System 1 hardware and bears more resemblance to Namco's own Dragon Spirit than Bosconian. A second sequel, Final Blaster, was released in 1990 for the PC-Engine in Japan only, and featured gameplay similar to Blast Off.

Bosconian was one of the first games with a continuation screen, edged out by Fantasy released one month earlier in 1981.

Games similar to or inspired by Bosconian

Notes
  1. Japanese: ボスコニアン Hepburn: Bosukonian

References
  1. "Retro Diary: 08 November – 05 December". Retro Gamer. No. 122. Imagine Publishing. 13 December 2013. p. 11.
  2. Alan Weiss, Brett (1998). "Bosconian - Review". Allgame. All Media Group. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  3. "Electronic Games Magazine". Internet Archive. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  4. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 218. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 August 1983. p. 27.
  5. Kimball, Michael (21 June 2014). "244". Galaga: Boss Fight Books #4. Boss Fight Books. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  6. "See Space For A Quarter - Bosconian" (Volume 1, Number 13). Reese Communications. Electronic Games. March 1983. pp. 55-56. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  7. "Bosconian" (Volume 1, Issue 1). Pumpkin Press. Video Games. August 1982. p. 44. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  8. GAMEST MOOK Vol.112 ザ・ベストゲーム2 アーケードビデオゲーム26年の歴史 (Vol. 5, No. 4 ed.). Gamest. 17 January 1998. p. 142. ISBN 9784881994290.
  9. Sasaki, Jun (4 September 2018). "いつまでも耳に残るサウンドが印象的だった珠玉の1本「ボスコニアン」". Akiba PC Hotline!. Impress Watch. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  10. "No.3 ボスコニアン（m5）ROMカセット". Beep!. 1 June 2015. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
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